Chapter 2: Give Him His Due!

Taylor Yale left the Ades Residence and headed straight for the Yale Residence. What had happened at the Ades family's place did not affect him in the slightest. A woman? Once he became an Emperor, what kind of woman would he not be able to have? Build the empire first. Worry about women later. With power in hand, what woman would be out of reach? After returning to the Yale family, he went alone to the back mountain. He sat cross-legged on the ground and took out several hundred sheets of paper. Every page was crammed with dense, tiny writing. At that moment, the Little Tower hanging at his waist trembled faintly. Soon, a voice drifted out from within, slow and incredulous. "You've been scribbling this messy junk since you were nine. What are you trying to do, exactly?" Taylor had been picked up by the Yale family. This Little Tower, along with the sword at his waist named "Xingdao," had followed him since childhood. "Spireprimus," Taylor said, "I'm creating a Cultivation Technique." "Hell no?" The Little Tower jolted. "Y-You… what did you just say?" Taylor's gaze sharpened. "For ordinary people to defy fate is harder than climbing to the heavens. When you strip it down, it comes to two things: money and a Cultivation Technique. If I create a Cultivation Technique that can freely absorb the Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth, then it solves both at once. From then on, cultivating won't cost a thing. The Spiritual Energy of the world, the universe itself, will be mine to draw on." The Little Tower fell silent. Taylor began sorting and compiling his notes. He was almost finished. After the great war a thousand years ago, the Arcavis Sword Master redefined all realms of cultivation. The current sequence was: Physical Realm, Innate Realm, True Law Realm, Realm of Myriad Laws, Minor Calamity Tier, Major Calamity Tier, Ascendant Apex Realm, Dharma Realm, Immortal Realm, Supreme Immortal Realm, Age Immortal… He was at the Innate Realm. After reaching it, one could draw the world's Spiritual Energy into the body, tempering flesh, organs, and bones. It strengthened the viscera and physical form drastically, pushing the body through another metamorphosis until it formed a Vajra Body. One moved like thunder, carried the strength of a hundred elephants, and could shatter rivers with a single punch. For ordinary people, the Innate Realm was effectively the ceiling. To climb higher required advanced Cultivation Techniques, things that were legends to the Yale family and countless commoners. And beyond those techniques, one also needed massive amounts of Spirit Crystal. If Taylor wanted to go further, he had only one path: Arcavis Academy. Only there did he have a chance to obtain a Cultivation Technique, but money was not a problem he could simply brute-force his way through. So he wanted to create a Cultivation Technique that did not require money to cultivate. The Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth, for me to take! He had not been in such a rush before. He had been suppressing his realm, aiming to push every stage to its limit and let things break through naturally when the time was ripe. But after killing someone from Eldergem Spire, danger pressed in on him. He knew the Zorn family and Eldergem Spire would never let it go. By the time the sky turned pale with dawn, Taylor still sat cross-legged, hands forming seals before his chest. All at once, countless streams of white Spiritual Energy, visible to the naked eye, surged out of the world and rushed toward him. They plunged into the space between his brows, sank through his chest, and spread inward. Taylor felt as if a spring breeze had swept through his organs, leaving his breath crisp and his mind startlingly clear. His voice shook. "This is bad. Spireprimus, something's wrong." The Little Tower sounded puzzled. "Didn't you succeed?" "I don't know how to stop!" Taylor blurted, panic rising. "Ah, I'm going to explode…" The Little Tower went quiet again. Taylor's aura skyrocketed, but the Spiritual Energy pouring into him was far, far too much. His Inner Core and body could not withstand it all at once. His organs and entire frame swelled to the brink, as if he were about to burst apart. He could not hold on. His eyes rolled shut, and he passed out cold. In the instant he lost consciousness, his realm leapt from True Law Realm straight into the Realm of Myriad Laws. Yet the flood did not stop. Spiritual Energy kept pouring into him. His body looked as though it would rupture at any moment, but in truth, nothing was wrong at all. Not only was there no damage, his body even began to slowly absorb the excess energy. The Little Tower murmured, "This little bit of Spiritual Energy could never burst the legendary Innate Mortal Body. Still… the kid needs to suffer a little. Next time, he'll be more careful." On the second day, Taylor woke up. The moment he realized he had reached the Realm of Myriad Laws, wild joy crashed through him. He had done it. Taylor grinned so hard his cheeks ached. An hour later, he returned to his room and began packing, preparing to leave for Azurehold Arcavis Academy. Rather than waiting for retaliation, he would strike first. The Zorn family acted so arrogant because of Roy Zorn. Fine. He would go kill Roy Zorn himself. He had just finished gathering his things when Isaac Yale and his sister-in-law, Lena Looske, walked in. Lena stepped up to Taylor and produced a ring, placing it in front of him. Taylor blinked in surprise. "A Storage Ring?" A Storage Ring was nothing special to the rich, but to the Yale family, it was priceless. Clearly, it belonged to his sister-in-law. The Looske family did business and had far more money than the Yale family. Inside the Storage Ring, besides the clothes and daily necessities Lena had packed for him, there were also nine hundred Spirit Crystal. The Yale family's yearly expenses were only three hundred Spirit Crystal. Nine hundred was an outrageous fortune to him. Taylor's expression tightened as he saw them, and he immediately refused. "Sister-in-law, I can't take these Spirit Crystal." He knew most of it had to be Lena's dowry. The Yale family simply could not produce that kind of wealth right then. Lena's voice stayed gentle. "You're going to the Academy. Without money, how will you manage? And once you're there, there's tuition, resources, all kinds of cultivation expenses. You'll be spending everywhere." Warmth flooded Taylor's chest, but he still shook his head. "Sister-in-law…" Lena pressed the Storage Ring into his hand. "Tianming, we're family. Don't be so polite with me. When you're out there, don't pinch pennies too hard. Spend what needs spending. If it's not enough, send word back. Your brother and I will find a way." Taylor closed his fingers around the Storage Ring until it bit into his palm. His eyes turned damp. "Big Brother. Sister-in-law. I'm leaving." He turned and walked out. Isaac and Lena stood there, watching him disappear beyond the far end of the courtyard. A moment later, an old man approached Isaac. In a low voice, he said, "Young Lord, while protecting Young Master Tianming, I discovered he has already reached the Realm of Myriad Laws…" He hesitated, then added, "Young Lord… he's too monstrous. In the future, he may threaten your position. Why not…" Isaac spun and slapped him. Smack! The old man was knocked straight to his knees. Isaac looked down at him, eyes cold. "If I, Isaac Yale, as the heir, can't stand my brothers being better than me, then am I worthy of being heir at all? The more outstanding Tianming is, the happier I am. That isn't only my blessing as his elder brother. It's the blessing of the entire Yale family!" As he spoke, Isaac raised his hand and struck the old man on the crown of the head. "Sowing discord, trying to drive a wedge between brothers of my clan, you deserve death… Someone, drag him out and feed him to the dogs!" Old man: "…" Elsewhere in the courtyard, Kobe Yale gathered the younger generation of the Yale family. He looked at the boys and girls, faces still carrying the softness of youth, and lifted his chin. "Big Brother's busy, and Brother Tianming went out to handle something again. So for the Yale family, I'm the big brother for the time being. You all listen to me. Starting tomorrow, stop training like your lives depend on it. Rest when you should rest." A teenage boy pumped his fist. "Brother Kobe, we're not afraid of being tired or suffering! We'll cultivate for the rise of the Yale family!" Kobe flicked his small hand dismissively. "Hard work is worthless in the face of talent." Everyone fell silent. Kobe clenched his fist and waved it with gusto. "Don't work hard. Just wait until I become an Emperor. I'll upgrade the bloodline of the whole clan and you'll all take off on the spot!" Everyone: "…"